


Once Upon A December

by Camphalfgalra



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8316295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camphalfgalra/pseuds/Camphalfgalra
Summary: She knew it was wrong, but if it meant an escape from reality, she would do anything. If it meant no more pain, she would do it. If it meant being with him, and having him by her side, that's all that she cared about. That's all that she wanted. That's the only thing she wanted.





	1. Chapter 1

Mabel Pines wasn't all what she seemed to be. Once a happy, carefree girl, she used to enjoy everything, a trip to the mall or even just a walk in the woods with her brother and Grunkles.

The years had passed, and no longer was she like that. She had matured, had seen the real world, and had been scarred. She had seen her brother pass away before her own eyes, scarring her emotionally and bringing her downfall to feeling no emotions anymore.

She was afraid to trust. She was afraid to be happy, because in a flash, all that happiness could be taken away, just as it was taken away when Dipper was murdered for protecting her. 

That had been when they were fifteen. Two years had passed, and she was now in her last year of high school. She had never imagined that she wouldn't graduate without her twin, but it seems that fate had different plans.

She was just a shadow of her past self, now an emotionless girl who couldn't be brought into conversations.

She was teased, but she just tuned the entire world out and walked quietly, never saying anything. Nasty rumors spread about her, the murmuring never stopped, but Mabel didn't care. She was done caring about anything anymore.

The school year started with the rumors about her still around, and she would just sit there, emotionlessly as they threw insults at her.

'Are you mute? Is that why you won't talk?' 'What's the matter with you?' 'You're such a freak!' 'Ew, here comes the loser. Hide before she contaminates you with her loserness!' 

They would laugh as if it was some game, and wouldn't stop. School was hell, and so was home.

After Dipper's death, their parents had been so sad about their sons death that they had turned to alcohol to stop feeling anything and live in a pure bliss. They were drunk almost all the time, and Mabel hated it. She just wanted to escape it all, but she couldn't. 

November came, and so did the snow. It only made her feel more emotionless, as if she couldn't do anything. 

With the holidays around the corner, her parents drinking increased, it was even more than her Grunkle Stan could ever drink.

The bullying continued, only increasing everyday, but as usual, she hid away her feelings and remained stone cold.

It was all routine for her. Get up, get dressed, go to school, don't feel, don't let it get to you, come home, and cry yourself to sleep.

It was all like that, that is, until she met him. 

It had been a particularly cold day in  
December, and Mabel had rushed to get home, ignoring the kids rude remarks as she ran past them, eager to get home.

Everyday she tried to think, hey, maybe today is the day that mom and dad won't be drunk when I get home! Maybe it'll all be better!

But when she got home, there was nothing but her mothers high pitched, intoxicated laugh and her fathers snorts of laughter, both laughing at something that was probably stupid.

"Mom...dad?" 

Her mother groaned and she turned to look at her daughter, eyeing her critically. 

"What do you want? I have a life, leave me be. Now go be useful and do something, just get out of my sight! Shoo shoo!"

Mabel held back tears before nodding and saying, "Yes ma'am."

She ran upstairs and heard their laughter resume just before she could reach her room.

She felt the tears start to emerge, and she quickly ran into her room, locking it shut before collapsing onto her bed, sobbing her eyes out.

  Why doesn't anyone love me? Why am I treated like this? What did I do to deserve it? What did I do? 

   Her sobbing ceased and only sit whimpers escaped from her mouth, until she fell into a deep sleep, and there's where she met him.

In her Dreamscape, she was crying, huddled in a ball, when she felt a hand tap her shoulder.

"Are you lost, kid?"

She hesitantly looked up and wiped away the stray tears from her eyes, staring at him, at loss for words.

He was tall, blonde, with an eyepatch over his right eye, dressed in yellow with black, all fancy as if he was about to go to a fancy dinner party. He even had a top hat, making him look even more sharp.

She took a good look around her surroundings and sighed.

"N-no, I don't know where I am."

The man sighed, smiling, before extending his arm. 

"Come with me, Shooting Star."

Mabel froze, she hadn't been called that since she was thirteen.  
"B-Bill?"

The man could only smile and hold onto her hand.

"The one and only."

"But I thought we beat you!"

Bill laughed. "Please kid. It takes a lot more than that to kill me!"

Mabel looked off into the distance, feeling uncomfortable when Bill said 'kill me.'

Bill read her thoughts and put his hands up.

"Woah, touchy subject, sorry. Would you like a tour around here?"

She looked around, perplexed as to what it exactly was supposed to be.

"What's is even supposed to be?"

Bill grinned. "Anything you want it to be. You're in the Dreamscape kid, anything you want to do you can do!"

Mabel looked around while Bill critically looked over her with his eye.

"Tsk. Shooting Star, we need to get you into some better clothes."

With a snap of his fingers, she was dressed in a light yellow dress with a blue slash around her waist, the sleeves were made of fine silk and so was the dress. Her hair was held in a ponytail with a bow to hold it in place, a pearl necklace around her neck, gold shoes on her feet.  
Bill grinned. "Much better."

Mabel was still confused though, wondering what she was supposed to do now.

Bill read her thoughts and laughed.

"I need to show you something first."

He ran ahead of her, pulling her along, and she laughed, feeling her worries go away as they ran freely over the meadow in the Dreamscape, hand in hand with her former tormenter that had tormented her during the first summer the Pines twins had ever been in Gravity Falls. It felt so wrong, but at the same time, so good.

He eventually stopped, forcing her to stop, making her pout.

"What gives?"

He grabbed her by the chin and made her look in the direction of the door. 

"See that door? That door is the border between your Dreamscape and reality. You want to come here again, then it's simple, you have to sleep. Only them will you be able to access the Dreamscape. Do you understand, Shooting Star?"

She nodded. "I understand."

He smiled. "Good. Now it's time for you to blast on outta here.

Mabel pouted. "Aw, but why? I like it here! It's better than the real world..." Her voice trailed off on the end, making Bill worried.

"Hey. It'll be okay. Just remember that I'm here for you after the day, and I'll promise I'll try to make you feel happy."

She gave him an uncertain smile before he opened the door for her, allowing her to pass.

"See you tonight, Shooting Star."

And with that, the door was shut, and she woke up, looking around to make sure it was a dream.

Yes, it had been a dream. But a dream that she could keep having if she slept, and it was a dream that she hoped would never stop.

Then there was Bill to think about.

Why is he so different? Why is he so polite and not evil? Does he know something I don't?  
She sighed and shit off her alarm, getting ready for school. Great. Another day to be tortured and insulted. 

But today, she felt something different. Almost as if her heart had started to start showing emotion again. But why? She smiled as she thought of going to sleep again.

I finally have something to look forward to.


	2. In Love With The Demon

She went to school after her encounter with Bill in the Dreamscape, and could only keep thinking about him, about how he seemed to be less chaotic and more good. It confused her, to be honest.

   But she couldn't stop feeling something for him. Her heart immediately had felt better when he took her hand, and she was confused.  She wanted to understand why it had felt so wrong, and so right at the same time.  

   She was pensive the whole morning, unfocused and only raising her arm for attendance.

   In math class, a paper airplane was thrown and it hit the side of her head, everyone laughing while she just sat there with the same, emotionless look on her face mixed with something else, which was confusion, but no one cared, except for the few who tried to talk to her, like a certain Northwest, who had transferred to the school to keep Mabel company.

   "Are you okay? You've been kinda off today, more than usual, that is."

   Mabel nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."

  Pacifica was surprised that she had spoken. 

  "You know I'm here for you, right?"

   Mabel gave her a small smile and patted her hand. "I know."

  The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and Mabel ran out again, leaving Pacifica standing there while staring after her.  
   "She's not okay."

  Mabel raced to get home, ignoring the pointed looks she got when she ran past the people, almost crashing into Victoria, one of her biggest bullies.

   She finally got home and scrambled to open the doors, entering and finding the house all upside down as usual, but this time, her mother was attempting to clean it.

   "Mom?"

   Her mother gave an annoyed grunt. "Move girl, can't you see im cleaning? Go be useful and go clean your room."

   Mabel then ran upstairs and shut the door, the tears threatening to fall again.

  Instead, she breathed in and out before changing into something more comfortable than her uniform. She got in her bed and inhaled deeply.

   Please let this work.

  She then fell asleep, finding herself standing in front of a a door. A door with the shooting star symbol on it. Her symbol.

  She hesitantly reached out to touch it, and when she did, she turned the knob and opened it.

   What she saw next was the scenery of a park, with a bench in the middle.

  Her clothes had automatically changed into the dress from before, and she walked until she reached the bench and sat down.

   She only sat there in silence, admiring the beautiful flowers that adorned the surrounding area, a light breeze blowing and tossing her hair in all different directions.

   The gusts got bigger, and one particularly large gust made the skirt of her dress fly up, to which she immediately reacted by holding the skirt down with her two hands.

   She was flustered, to say the least, a light blush across her face. "Damn wind."

   "I'll say."

  She quickly turned her head to where the voice had came from, and there stood none other than Bill Cipher with his top hat in his hand as he leaned against the tree next to the bench, smirking.

   "Be careful Shooting Star, the wind speeds here get really high."

  She blushed and looked away, making Bill laugh.

  Mabel pouted and looked at him. "What took you so long? I've been waiting here forever!"

Bill shrugged. "I had to do something. Now, look at me."

  Mabel tilted her head towards him and noticed the light blush across his cheeks. Was the great Bill Cipher blushing?

   He cupped her cheek, bringing it closer to his face, before placing a flower on the right side of her head.

   "Perfect."

   Mabel only stared at him while she blushed ever so profusely, her heart still pounding in her chest, finally looking away when Bill cleared his throat.

  "Should we stay here or should we go now Star?"  

   Mabel looked at him before asking, "Where are we going?"

  Bill smiled. "We're going to have a picnic."

With that, a blanket was spread on the ground, all the food placed in the center ever so conveniently.

   Mabel took Bill's hand when he offered it, and he helped her go down the hill to sit on the blanket.

  She took slow bites out of her sandwich, smiling at a majority of the things that Bill told her, even going as far as snorting at what he had said.

  "I mean, why would he choose green? He would look like a corn chip dipped in avocado!"

   Mabel laughed, a real laugh, which took Bill by surprise, an apparently it took Mabel by surprise too.

   "I didn't know I could laugh."

   Bill put a hand up. "Correction. You didn't think you could laugh again, but you knew you could."

  Mabel rolled her eyes and punched him playfully. "Okay sure."

  Bill grinned. "I'm on a roll!"

  Mabel smiled and the two of them continued to eat and eventually started cloud gazing.

  Mabel could feel the tension and stress leaving her, the depression being lifted. She felt free and happy, and she had never felt more happy.

   Bill looked at his watch and sighed. "Sorry kid, you have to go."

  Mabel pouted. "Can't I stay?"

  Bill shook his head. "Your body is waking up. I'll be here for you when you go back to sleep. You'll be fine, relax!"

  He patted her back and she smiled.

  "I guess I'll be okay."

  Bill smiled. "That's the spirit! Now go before your body wakes up."

   "That sounds so weird and creepy when you say it like that."

  Bill shrugged. "I'm the lord of chaos! I think you would have gotten used to me being like that, Shooting Star." 

  Mabel giggled. "I guess. Bye Bill!"

   Bill waved as she left, a large grin on his face.

With that, she exited out and found herself waking up, a smile on her face.

   "I love sleep." 

  It wasn't until later that she realized what had happened, why her feelings were so on edge when she was around him.

  "I think I'm in love with Bill."

She repeated it to herself while she walked towards her school, smiling a little bit more every time she said it.

  I'm in love with Bill Cipher, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

(A/N: I love writing this.)


	3. The Dreamscape, My Escape

     By now, days had passed after that realization that Mabel had fallen in love with the demon, and while she would say she wasn't happy when someone asked -such as Pacifica- it felt great to feel happiness so freely again. 

     Mabel found herself walking to the school alone and like usual, hadn't said a word but had one of the biggest smiles on her face, and Pacifica was shocked.

   "You look happy."

  Mabel looked at her and shrugged. "I guess."

  Pacifica grinned. "Tell me what happened, I'm curious!"

  Mabel looked off to the side and looked back t her. "I found what makes me happy, that's the important thing."

  Pacifica crossed her arms and pouted. "You know I'm going to keep asking you, right?"

   Mabel gave her a crooked smile. "I know. And I'll just keep telling you that."

  Pacifica rolled her eyes playfully. "You're a mean one, Mabel."

  Mabel punched her lightly on the shoulder. "I know."

   Pacifica smiled before the two started walking to class, Mabel smiling for the first time in a while, and it didn't go unnoticed.

   The class turned their heads when she came in, and Pacifica rolled her eyes.

  "Didn't your parents ever tell you that staring isn't polite?"

  They murmured before resuming what they were doing before Mabel had come in.

   'She looks...different.' 'Is she smiling?' 'Woah, she's not frowning!' 'I'm glad she's smiling, it looks better on her.' 'Hmph.

   Mabel sat down in her chair before the teacher started the lesson, not focusing on what she was saying at all.

  She would just stare out the window, sighing and smiling like a love a lovesick puppy.

  The other kids would take quick glances at her, whispering to each other about her. 

  Mabel however, didn't care, as she was too deep into her thoughts and wasn't disturbed by them.

   The school day passed, and eventually she had to go home.

  She ran to her locker, quickly entering the code and grabbing her stuff before continuing to run past the other students, not caring if they stared at her, she just wanted and needed to go home because that's were she could be with him. Bill.

She raced past the coffee shop where she and her brother used to go when their parents would take them for a treat and the park that they used to spent hours in, swinging on the swings or running through the sprinklers during the hot days before they were sent to live with their Grunkles every summer.

She finally saw her street and finding new energy, ran towards her house, fumbling to find her keys to get in.

When she finally found them she quickly unlocked the door, not even bothering to see if her parents were sober or not. 

She ran upstairs, locked the door, flung her things to the side and then flopped onto her bed, a huge smile on her face. I get to see Bill.

She didn't even bother to get changed before falling asleep, a huge smile on her face.

In the Dreamscape, she squinted her eyes at how bright the lighting was before her eyes adjusted to show Bill standing there with a cart and a white chefs hat on his head instead of his normal one.

She skipped over to him, a smile on her face.   
"Hiya Bill!"

He looked at her and smiled. "Shooting Star! What a delight to have you here on this fine evening!"

She laughed before shoving him playfully on his shoulder, making him grab it with mock pain.

"You have wounded me Mabel Pines. You shall never be forgiven."

Mabel pouted. "You're such a big baby."

Bill leaned across the cart, supporting himself on his hands and fluttering his eyelashes at her.

"But you still love me."

Mabel rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay sure." 

She curiously looked at the cart and then looked back up at him, the curious look in her brown eyes making Bill melt at how adorable she looked when she was confused.

"So what's the plan for today?"

Bill snapped out of his thoughts and grinned.   
"Today we're playing that I'm the mortal- I mean, human that sells you ice cream and you have to be the girl that I sell it to, got it?"

  Mabel smirked. "These games are so creative."

  Bill gave her a look. "I'm trying!"

She laughed before saying, "I want my ice cream you human nacho now give it to me!"

  He put his hands up. "A-a Shooting Star, you don't ask for things like that!"

  Mabel pouted before speaking up again. "Can I have my ice cream now, please?"

  Bill pretended to think. "I don't know, can ya?" He laughed like it was so funny but when he turned to look at Mabel he realized it wasn't as funny as he thought it was. 

   "Shooting Star?"

  "You're starting to sound like my teacher stop it and give me my ice cream before I steal all your top hats because I know where you keep them!"

  Bill crossed his arms and pouted. "Not fair Shooting Star! 

  Mabel shrugged and smiled smugly. "I never said I was a saint."

  Bill raised a brow. "Wow OKAY SHOOTING STAR. I JUST REALIZED YOU THREATENED TO STEAL MY PRECIOUS TOP HATS."

  He handed her the ice cream cone, her favorite flavor, strawberry, and she smiled. 

  "Thank you!"

  Bill pouted and crossed his arms. "All you needed to say was that I was the most handsome and most charming dream demon to get your ice cream, Star."

  Mabel raised her arms up exasperatedly and said, "Well how was I supposed to know that?!"

   She dropped the cone and could only stare fine at it with such a horrified look that Bill started laughing uncontrollably.

  Mabel flushed red and pouted. "Hey I want a refund!"

  "Sorry, we put the fun no refunds!" 

  Mabel scowled. "I guess I'll just have to take all your top hats and shoes now."

  Bill stopped laughing before ducking down and getting her a new ice cream cone, making Mabel grim rather smugly.

  "Thanks Corn Chip!"

  Bill groaned. "Don't call me that."

  Mabel grinned. "Does it annoy you?"

  "Yes it does."

They sat in silence before Mabel spoke up.

  "Bill?"

   "Yes, Shooting Star?"

    "Can I tell you something?"

    "Spit it out."

    "...Corn Chip."

   He sat there before finally saying, "Triggered."

  Mabel laughed and he looked at her with a curious look on his face, Mabel never noticing until she had calmed down and noticed him staring at her.

   "Do I have something stuck in my teeth?"

  Bill shook his head. "You're beautiful when you laugh, did you know that?"

  Mabel blushed profusely, making Bill smile.

"I didn't even know I was beautiful at all."

  Bill frowned before tilting her head up to face him. "But my Star, you always were, and you always will be."

   Mabel stared at him before smiling. "I guess I will."

   Bill grinned. "There's the happy Shooting Star I know!"

  He took a bite out of his ice cream, and when he turned to look at Mabel she covered her mouth and tried not to laugh, making Bill confused.

  "Is there something in my hair?"

  She shook her head before pointing to his nose, making him look at his nose and realize why she was laughing.

  He had gotten ice cream all over his nose, making it look like he had a white clown nose.

   If it were any other situation, Bill would've disassembled the persons molecules it they laughed at him, but this was Shooting Star.

  Shooting Star, who was finally being the Shooting Star he remember from her trips to Gravity Falls, happy and carefree. He honestly liked this side of her more, and he was happy that he could make her laugh. That's all he had wanted to do, to keep her away from doing the unthinkable and irreversible.

    Bill started to laugh with her, the two laughing like they didn't have a care in the world about what was going on, like the real world didn't exist and like they could ligh for ages.

   Bill finally looked at his watch and frowned. 

   "It's time for you to go, Shooting Star."

  Mabel frowned before crossing her arms.

  "Too bad, in staying here."

  Bill groaned. "Star, we've been over this, you can't stay here permanently, you can only stay here as long as you're sleeping!"

  "But can't you like cast a spell that makes me stay asleep forever?"

  "My dear, there is no such spell for that, there is only death, and you will not die just to stay here."

  She frowned. "But the real world sucks, they don't understand me, not like you do."

  Bill smiled softly before hugging her, Mabel returning the hug.

  "The Dreamscape is like my escape, I don't want to go back to where I will never be as happy as I am with you."

  Bill tilted her chin up. "Shooting Star, I know the real world sucks, but you can't escape it. You can only live through it and fight you're way through it like the strong girl I know you are."

   Mabel sighed. "I guess I have to go back."

  Bill nodded in confirmation.

  Mabel sighed and got up, still holding Bill's hand.

  "At least escort me to the door, you Corn Chip!"

  Bill smiled before leading her to the door, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

   "I'll be here when you go to sleep again."

Mabel smiled. "I know you will. Goodbye for now, Bill."

  Bill tipped his now normal top hat and she giggled before closing the door and waking up.

  She stretched and smiled, not caring that she was still in uniform or that she hadn't done her homework, all that mattered was that she had seen Bill and would continue seeing him, for he was practically the only happiness she had.

   She smiled as she picked up her brush, running it through her hair while thinking of Bill and them realizing that she had to go back to school, the hell that awaited her.

  She frowned before remembering what Bill had told her in the Dreamscape.

  "Shooting Star, I know the real world sucks, but you can't escape it. You can only live through it and fight you're way through it like the strong girl I know you are."

  She smiled as she remembered this before taking a deep breath. 

  "I am Mabel Pines, and I won't fear of the worlds cruelty anymore! I have been through enough and now I will let my happiness show without anyone telling me that it is wrong or right. I will fight to be happy, because if Bill believes in me, then I can believe in me too!"

  She breathed in and out before picking up her backpack then walking down the stairs without even looking at her passed out parents before slamming the door shut and walking out.

   "I'm not going to let them determine my happiness."

  And with that final thought she proceeded to walk to the hell that awaited her, but this time she had Bill's encouraging words to guide her.

 

______________________________  
(Here you go kid, have a new chapter! It's just for you! Lol, it's for everyone, I'm just kidding! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY HALLOWEEN KIDDIES!


	4. The Demon That Loves Me

   More days passed leading into December, and she felt great.

   She didn't feel all gloomy, instead she smiled and occasionally talked to other people but hey, progress is progress.

   She would run home everyday to sleep, not even caring if she had to rush to finish her homework in the morning, she didn't care because all that mattered was that she could sleep and be with Bill, the only thing that she lived for.

   She was insanely in love with him, seeking the love that her parents neglected to give her her in him. Bill gladly gave the love, and she thrived under it. She was slowly returning to normal, and she was accepting it surprisingly good.

   She raced home from school on a particularly rainy day, both to escape the rain and to get home to see Bill.

   When she finally entered her house, she saw her mother passed out on the couch, her arm draped around her father.

  She wrinkled her nose at the sight. "What have you two become?" 

   She picked up a few things that were misplaced before running upstairs, locking the door and flopping onto her bed to sleep.

   Sleep came easy, it always came easy when it was raining and when there was no noise to disturb her.

   This time, she saw the door already opened, as if her arrival had been expected.

  Bill appeared in front of her, in his usual attire before he smirked and offered her his hand.

   "My lady."

  Mabel grinned. "My my, what a gentleman!"

  Bill tipped his top hat with his other hand, leaning down.

   "I try."

  Mabel laughed before he stood up again, grinning.

   "Glad you could make it to tonight's 'special occasion."

  Mabel's smile practically illuminated the room after he said this, her excitement growing with every passing second.

  "Ooh, what kind of surprise?"

  Bill winked at her, making her blush. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?"

  Mabel groaned before crossing her arms and turning the other way.

   "But I wanna know!"

  Bill laughed. "Shooting Star, you're just so adorable when you're mad!"

   Mabel flushed a deeper shade of red, only making Bill laugh harder.

   He finally stopped, wiping a stray tear from under his left eye, the one that didn't have an eyepatch over it.

   "Ah that was great!"

  Mabel still refused to look at him, staring off into the other direction.

   "Oh c'mon Shooting Star, you know you can't stop looking at me! I'm irresistible!"

   Mabel still didn't turn around, and Bill was getting annoyed and desperate. 

   "Shooting Star im giving you 'til three to turn around and hug me! One! Two!"

  He looked at her figure, not moving and still sitting with her arms crossed.

  "...two and a half..."

  She still ignored him.

   "...two and three quarters...?"

  When she still ignored him, he screamed and ran over to her, kneeling in front of her.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Im sorry! Just please don't ignore me!"

  He was practically begging and Mabel finally looked at him, a small smirk on her face.

   "Would you look at that! Bill Cipher, the all powerful dream demon begging for mercy! Wait until Dipper-"

  She abruptly stopped there and covered her mouth, her breaths becoming more uneven as the seconds passed. She felt the tears start to grow, she felt them want to escape her eyes.

   Bill immediately got up and pulled her up, hugging her close, running his long fingers through her pairs, patting her back at the same time.

"It'll be okay Shooting Star. It'll be okay. Just let it all out."

She sobbed freely into his chest, Bill never letting go of her.

He kept patting her back, as if it would be okay, and she had never felt more safer in his arms than ever before.

After a few minutes, her breathing returned to normal and her sobbing stopped, replaced by small whimpers that made Bill's heart hurt.

He tilted her chin up before clearing away the stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail, wrapping it around her ear. He then placed another flower in her ear, fastening it so it wouldn't fall out.

Mabel could only look in all different directions, unsure of how to react.

Bill made he face him before sighing.

"I know it's hard, but you have to accept that he's gone one day. It'll hurt like hell for you, but it'll make your memories of him be less hurtful to you."

Mabel sighed. "I've tried, and I'm trying, but it's hard knowing that you won't grow up with a twin that you could rely on to always be there."

Bill placed a comforting arm around her, pulling her closer towards him. "You'll be okay. Darling you're a star and you shine brighter than all the stars in the galaxy!"

Mabel smiled before Bill grinned and stood up, pulling her to her feet.

"I think our surprise is ready."

Mabel raised a brow. "Now are you going to tell me what it is?"

Bill smiled before shaking his head and walking faster, Mabel jogging to catch up to him.

She eventually caught up to him, huffing and panting. "What's the big...idea?"

She saw a ballroom set up, and her heart melted.

"You knew I loved to dance..."

Bill smiled. "May I have the honor to lead you through this first dance?"

Mabel smiled. "Well if you're the only one here, then yes, you may lead me through this first dance."

He grabbed her left hand with his right, placing his arm around her waist and she putting her other hand on his shoulder.

He gripped her hand before leading her across the dance floor, not missing a beat.

One step forward, two steps back, one to the left, and one to the right. Rotate, and beging the process again.

It was a waltz, and Mabel could only sigh dreamily as she stood there in Bill's arms, never wanting him to let go of her.

But time passes, for one can't stop time just for one of your wishes to be granted.

She had to leave again, and instead of usually fighting, she hugged Bill, Bill being shocked at first but then returning the hug.

"Time for you to go, my Star."

Mabel smiled. "I know. But this isn't a goodbye, it's a see you later!"

Bill laughed. "I like your way of thinking, kid."

Mabel smiled as she leaned against him in their embrace, both not wanting to let go but they knew they had to.

It was Bill who broke the hug, cleaning off   
any stray marks on his suit.

"I'll see you tonight?"

"You always will as long as I'm alive!"

Bill laughed. "See you later, Shooting Star."

She waved goodbye before going through the door, entering the real world again.

This time, she wasn't even scared about going to school, she wanted to show off her new happiness, because it was staying as long as Bill was there.

That was the thing that kept her going and happy, the fact that Bill was there for her when she needed him and that he loved her and she loved him. She had never felt love and now she had met the -literal- man of her dreams. Er, dream demon of her dreams.

But all happiness doesn't last forever, and here's where things started going downhill for Mabel.  
______________________________  
(A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and in the next part, things start to take a more serious turn. Stay tuned, and for now, peace out! ✌ 


	5. Worries

"Bill?"

She looked around the Dreamscape, the sky bright and she seemed to be in a meadow with a bunch of flowers that reached her knees.

She finally heard a voice call her name, and turning in the direction of the voice, she saw the one and only Bill Cipher with his fancy suit and top hat. 

  "Shooting Star!"

  Mabel grinned as she started running towards him, only for the hem of her dress to get stuck in her heel, her arms flailing wildly as she tripped.

So this is how I die...

In a flash, Bill was at her side and grabbed onto her hand before she fell.

Mabel sighed in relief when she saw that Bill had held onto her, feeling him pull her back up into a standing position.

"How did you get here so fast?"

Bill grinned. "Did you forget that I'm an all powerful dream demon?"

Mabel smiled as she hugged him, making Bill raise a brow before returning the hug. But once he hugged her, he sensed something off with her. He didn't know what it was but something was off, he could feel it and he was confused.

He pulled away from her while smiling, Mabel doing the same.

"So, what are we going to do today?" 

  Bill grinned. "We are going to go on a magical adventure."

  Mabel instantly perked up, looking like a puppy that had been given a treat.

   "Really?"

  She sounded so excited, and that made Bill's heart melt.

   "Yes Shooting Star, we are, because I love you."

   Mabel grinned as Bill took her hand and led her up the hill, eventually reaching the top.

   Mabel gasped as she saw what was at the top, her eyes gleaming and her smile so wide.

   "IT'S A BIRD!"

   "No, it's a chinchilla."

  She punched his arm and Bill just shook his head, holding in the laughter. 

   "Shut up Bill! It's obviously a bird and it's for me!"

  Bill pretended to be shocked. "How did you ever find out that it was yours?!"

  Mabel laughed before pulling him along, hesitantly reaching out to touch the bird. 

Bill encouraged her and she touched the giant beast, its face turning to face her, tilting its head curiously before rubbing up against her, obviously accepting her.

   Mabel laughed while she kept petting it. "You're so pretty-" Looking at his name tag, she finally spoke up again. "-Adagio." she crooned.

   Bill grinned. "What if I told you we were going to ride it?"

  Mabel stopped petting him and she looked at Bill, eyes wide with hope. "Are we really?!"

  Bill grabbed her by her waist and seated her in top of the creature, making Mabel squeak in surprise at the sudden move.

   "Relax Shooting Star, I'm just helping you up."

  She relaxed as Bill sat her in the front, right behind Adagio's neck before he hopped up behind her, wrapping his arms protectively around her waist. 

   Mabel blushed at the action and Bill smirked. "Hope you don't mind me being your personal seatbelt, Shooting Star."

  Mabel shook her head and Bill laughed. "Are you ready?"

   "As ready as I'll ever be. ONWARDS, ADAGIO!"

  The bird let out a screech before taking off, making Mabel scared before Bill leaned next to her ear and whispered, "Look."

   She hesitantly opened her eyes and was immediately in awe of what she saw.

   It seemed as if they were flying over a meadow of lush wild flowers, all blooming and swaying slightly in the light breeze. It was as if it was spring, and not the harsh winter that was going on in the real world.

   The sun was so bright, illuminating everything. And the clouds, oh the clouds! They seemed so soft and comfortable, she just wanted to touch them, and touch them she did.

   She laughed freely and Bill smiled at the sight of her being so happy, so carefree. 

   But there was still something nagging him at the back of his head, like an alarm telling him and insisting that something was wrong with her and she was doing something wrong.

  He frowned but as soon as she turned towards him he smiled, her cheerful expression only growing.

  When they finally landed, her cheeks were rosy pink, her hair was all different directions and her smile was still as bright as it had been when she had been up in the sky, free.

"That was great!"

Bill grinned, taking her hand and sitting her down next to him, both just watching the clouds pass overhead.

Mabel was surprised, Bill wouldn't watch clouds with a peaceful mind, he would switch them up and make inappropriate shapes with them.

  But then again, that was before, four years ago. A lot changes in that large amount of time, and Bill seemed to be one of those things that changed.

    Bill was pensive about Mabel, he couldn't place a finger on what was making him so worried, and he hated it. He was supposed to be an all knowing, powerful dream demon but now he felt as if he knew nothing.

   He wondered if it had anything to do when he had come to her Dreamscape. He knew she was depressed, he knew she was capable of taking her own life, and he didn't want that.

  He wanted his Star to live, and to grow stronger everyday. He didn't want her to live a grim life, and this was crazy, because he usually wanted to make people's lives miserable. 

   He had changed, he knew it. And so had she, and she was beginning to confuse him a lot.

   Bill finally turned to look at Mabel when she squeezed his hand, wanting to get his attention.

   "Do you ever wonder what it's like to be a bird?"

   "...No. Why would you think about that?"

   Mabel giggled. "I bet it's amazing, you have no responsibilities and no sorrows, only living life and flying. You're not stuck to just being in one place."

  Bill continued to stare at her as she went on. Yep, something was definitely up. She wanted to be a bird, and she was giving way too many specific details about why living life as a bird was better. He would have to start looking after her more.

   Mabel sighed. "I wish I could stay here with you...it's nicer here."

  Bill sighed. "Me too, Shooting Star. Me too."

    Mabel sat up and picked up some random pink and purple flowers, making Bill raise a brow.

  "What are you doing?"

  She giggled and showed him the flower crown that she had made with all the flowers.

   "This is what I'm doing! Ta-da!"

  Bill smiled. "Put it on then."

  Mabel grinned slyly. "Oh, but it's not for me."

  Bill's smile turned into a frown and he prepared to get up and run, but he was too late. Mabel had jumped on him and had started putting the flower crown on, arranging it so it wouldn't fall off.

  "HEY! GET THAT THING OF MY HEAD, IT COVERS MY HAT!"

  "Nope!"

  "I CAN KILL YOU WITH THE SNAP OF MY FINGERS."

   Mabel smiled cheekily. "But you won't because you love me."

  Bill was silent before Mabel finally got off of him and grinned. "There we go!"

  She led Bill to the nearby river, making him see his reflection in the water.

   "I look hideous."

   "You look cute!"

  Bill pouted before turning away, looking at the sky.

   "Shooting Star, I think it's time for you to go."

  Mabel's smile drooped as she heard this. 

  "Oh..."

  Bill sighed and got up, pulling her up with him.

  "I actually didn't want today to end, it's been nice having you around."

  Mabel raised a brow. "What do you do all day when I'm not here?"

   "Wait for you to get back of course!"

  Mabel laughed before hugging him.

  "I'll be back soon."

  Bill nodded and kissed the top of her head, making her smile.

   "I'll see you in a while, my Star."

  Mabel smiled as she closed the door behind her, finally waking up, but she felt...different.

   She felt like her limbs were made of lead, and all she wanted to do was fall back asleep.

  Mabel shrugged it off, as if it were nothing, but she still felt tired and had trouble getting up and out of bed.

   "Must be the pill's side effects, but I don't think it'll happen again since I don't have to take it anymore."

   She got dressed and picked her things up, not even bothering to say goodbye to her parents, who were still passed out on the couch.

  The entire way to the school she was like that too, almost getting hit by a car for not watching where she was going.

  Pacifica was so confused when she saw Mabel, who had had to buy a coffee to keep her awake.

  "Hey Pacifica."

  Pacifica raised a brow. "What happened to you?"

   Mabel waved her off. "Nothing, just didn't get enough sleep. C'mon, let's get to math before we're late."

  She pulled Pacifica along, making Pacifica squeak in surprise.

   Mabel kept walking though, trying to ignore the voice in her head that was telling her, you shouldn't have taken that pill. You shouldn't have taken that pill. You shouldn't have taken that pill.

  She ignored it and kept telling herself, it's only one, I won't be taking one again. 

   And she actually believed it.  
_______________________________  
   Funny how that worked out for her.

   She stood in front of the mirror in her room, another pill in her hand and a water bottle in the other.

   It's for my health, I need sleep to be able to sleep, right?

  And with that thought, she swallowed yet another pill. 

   She laid down in her bed, falling asleep, telling herself that this wasn't going to happen again.

   What a big lie.  
_______________________________________  
(Sorry for not updating earlier, I really wanted to take my time to write this, especially since I kind of rushed the last chapter. So, here's the new part and yikes, Mabel dear what are you doing to yourself?   
   Well, that's all for today folks, I'll see you the next time I update. Peace out.)


	6. I Promise It'll Only Be One

Mabel was so happy, so cheerful in school now. She wasn't at all like that gloomy ghost version of her that had walked down to class everyday for the past two years, she was sociable and outgoing now.

There were people that cheered her on, and there were also the haters, but she didn't care about them, all she cared about was being happy and not letting their negative vibes destroy her new positive ones.

   Days passed, and the snow that usually fell at the end of December came early.

  December 8 came, and the snow started falling. Mabel had just awoken from one of the best dreams she had. She had gone horseback riding with Bill, who had been thrown off the horse more than five times, greatly angering him.

Truth was, she thought it was kinda cute when he got angry. He wasn't as threatening as he thought he was and it was hilarious to see him try to maintain his chill but epically failing.

She was all smiles when she arrived at the school, and people smiled as she said her 'hellos' and 'good mornings'. 

They were glad she was happy and many of those that used to bully her realized she was actually a fun person to hang out with. She had many friends now, and her happiness was so contagious that no one could resist not smiling at her when she passed.

   The bullies hated that she was so happy, because no one could be that perky, and they were going to fix that one way or another.  
\----------------------------------------------------  
Mabel had just gotten out of English class, the final bell having rang only a few moments earlier.

  She was so happy, for tonight Bill had promised that he would show her something incredible.

   She was so eager to get home, her smile so bright and wide that everyone wondered what had made her more happier than usual.

   Pacifica grinned as Mabel hurriedly input her locker code, gathering all her things and tossing them into her bag.

   "Woah! What's the big rush?"

  Mabel slung her backpack over her shoulder, looking up at Pacifica.

   "Nothing! I'm just happy to go home, you know what I mean?"

   Pacifica smirked. "I know what you mean, but I'm starting to think there's more to it than that."

   Mabel shook her head furiously, making Pacifica laugh.

   "Ooh, is it a boy?"

    "No!"

  Mabel was practically red and Pacifica only laughed.

   "It's okay, just be careful going home and don't run off like you always do, it's snowing hard."

    "I know."

  "In fact, let me give you a ride. Wait for me, I have to ask my law teacher something."

   Mabel inwardly groaned, she just wanted to get home to sleep and see Bill, but she couldn't be rude to Pacifica.

   "Sure! I'll just wait out front." 

  Pacifica raised a brow. "It's freezing cold. Are you sure you want to sit outside?"

   "Who said I was sitting? I'm standing up, I don't want to get butt freeze."

  Pacifica giggled before sighing. "I guess. Oh, if my dad comes tell him you're waiting for me because I had to ask a teacher a question."

   Mabel nodded and gave a thumbs up while Pacifica ran off to find her Law teacher.

   The bullies noticed Pacifica walk away, and they smiled.

   "Time to end this."

   Mabel walked outside, holding nothing but her binder and a cup of coffee that Pacifica had left behind.

    She heard two pairs of footsteps walk towards her, their feet crunching in the soft snow.

"Hey kid."

She turned around, smiling before her mouth formed a tight, straight line.

"Jessica! Haven't heard from you in a while!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Please. You can quit the act."

Mabel frowned. "What act?"

Miriam crossed her arms. "You know what we're talking about."

"But I really don't though."

Jessica glared at her. "You're way too cheery, and it bothers us."

Mabel's frown deepened. "So you're saying it's not okay for me to be happy?" 

Jessica flipped her hair over her shoulder and popped her gum. "Pretty much yeah."

Mabel crossed her arms. "Well I'm not stopping my happiness because two meanies don't want me to be happy."

Miriam scowled. "You'll stop if you know what's good for you."

Mabel shook her head and turned to walk away and before she could react she was pushed harshly into the snow, spilling the coffee all over the snow and her binder opening, spilling papers everywhere.

The two bullies laughed as they walked away, satisfied with what they had done.

Mabel touched the cheek that had hit the ground when she fell, feeling the sting.

She picked up the remains of the coffee, throwing them out into the garbage before picking up her papers and stuffing them into her binder.

"Stupid meanies."

She heard her name being called and she composed herself, turning around with a smile on her face to greet Pacifica.

"Okay I cleared things up with the teacher, did my dad come?"

Mabel shook her head. "I haven't seen him."

Pacifica frowned as she looked at Mabel. 

"What's that on your cheek?"

Mabel quickly covered it up, making Pacifica suspicious.

"It's nothing, I swear!"

Pacifica narrowed her eyes. "What. Happened?"

Mabel sighed. "Nothing I can't handle, relax I'm okay!"

Pacifica sighed. "You know I'm here for you, right?"

Mabel nodded. "Oh it looks like your dads here!"

The two girls walked into the car, silent the whole ride towards Mabel's house.

When they arrived she said her goodbyes and as soon as Pacifica had left she burst inside and ran upstairs, stopping in the doorway, sighing.

She walked into her room, shut the door and flopped onto her bed, groaning as she felt the pillow brush against the now completely red mark on her left cheek.

And just when I thought I was being accepted too...

She closed her eyes, just happy that she would finally see Bill. But she couldn't, she couldn't fall asleep. 

She tossed and turned, counted sheep and still couldn't sleep. She groaned in frustration and finally got up, accepting that she wasn't going to sleep like this.

She fixed the pillow, arranged the blanket in a specific way and returned to bed, only to toss and turn for another thirty minutes.

She groaned but remained in the bed, not wanting to get up.

Think Mabel, think! How do you sleep when you can't?

She finally remembered something that her parents had once bought once, and something they told her and her brother to never take.

~flashback~  
"Mom what are those?" 

Mabel's mother shifted uncomfortably before answering her daughters question. 

"They're for when your father and I can't sleep. Don't you ever take them, okay?"

Mabel laughed and so did Dipper.

"Mom I'm not going to take them, I'm just, ya know, curious!"

~return to present~

Mabel got up and tiptoed down the stairs to make sure her parents wouldn't realize that she was up and out of her room.

She peaked around the corner, noticing that her parents were knocked out cold and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

She kept walking to the bathroom, where she was 99% sure her parents kept what she wanted. 

With a slight creek, the door opened and she entered the bathroom, furiously looking for what she needed.

When she finally found it, she grabbed it and opened the lid, staring at the bottles contents. 

Sleep Pills.

She quickly ran upstairs and shut the door, once again opening the bottle.

She poured out a pill out and contemplated ingesting it. She stared at it for a good ten minutes before gathering all her courage and put it inside her mouth, repeating the worlds 'it's okay, it's only one time' in her head.

With a large gulp, she had taken the pill and she fell onto her bed, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

   Time to see Bill...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Taking a dark turn, isn't it?


	7. The Secret IS No More

  Tip the bottle, a pill falls out and plop, into her mouth it goes. That was what it was like for Mabel now.

   A week had passed, and she was still taking the pills. Not a wise decision, she knew it but if it helped her escape the harsh reality she would keep taking them and would not stop.

No one knew, and no one cared if she told them. It was her little secret, and it would be kept a secret. No one needed to know.

   She would take the pill and fall asleep, a deep slumber that no one could awaken her from.

She would see Bill and they would often go places, places that seemed so perfect and beautiful, unlike the world that she lived in. She could be free and not have to worry about anything coming after her, like the bullies.

  Bill would watch her with an curious eye, still confused about what was going on with her. He had a sinking feeling he knew what she was doing, but he wasn't willing to admit it. Not yet at least.  
_______________________________  
   It was a few days away from Christmas and Mabel looked horrible. 

  She looked so fatigued, which was strange because she was getting enough sleep yet she was always tired while in school.

   Pacifica was growing concerned about her, she knew Mabel had been bullied more but Mabel didn't want help and she thought she could fight them off by herself.

   Mabel constantly fell asleep anytime she could, and Bill was so confused. She was in the Dreamscape so much it seemed like she was there all the time, just lurking there until he would notice her.

Her grades had started to decline rapidly and her temper was so short that no one could make a sudden move or she would explode and scream at them before walking away, a frown on her face.

The people were concerned about her, some going as far as calling her 'bipolar' and that she needed medical help.

Mabel didn't care, and continued going to the Dreamscape every time she fell asleep.

~December 10~

   "Shooting Star, why are you here so early?"  
  Mabel shrugged. 

   "I fell asleep fast. The thing is that I'm here and now we can do whatever we want!" She giggled and Bill just raised a brow.

   "Are you not telling me something?"

  Mabel froze and quickly composed herself, grinning. "Why would I hide something from you?"

  She took his hand and led him to the middle of the dance floor, making Bill force a smile and act like he wasn't concerned about her.

  He held her by the waist and they danced, danced the time away until she had to go.

   "I'll be back soon!"

  She left with a cheerful goodbye, but her voice at the end caught Bill's attention. It sounded like she was on edge, she wasn't calm. It frightened him.

Mabel Pines please don't do what you're doing, you'll only end up injuring yourself...

   ~December 17~

  Mabel giggled as she picked the flowers from the ground, skipping ahead of Bill.

  Bill had become more serious these past days, and Mabel had noticed that. She feared that he knew what she was doing and she hid the fact that she knew what she was doing was wrong by acting all cheery, a shadow of her former 13 year old self.

The couple finally sat down alongside the river bank, Mabel throwing the flower boats in the lake, her laughter floating melodiously around them.

Bill could only stare at his reflection and frown, making Mabel turn towards him and raise a brow. 

"Are you alright there, Bill?"

Bill jerked out of his thoughts and looked at her, smirking. "Why would I be?"

In truth his heart was pounding and he heard the tick of the clock in his head.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tick. 

Wait, where did the tock come from?

He knew something big and bad was going to happen, he could hear the clock that was equal to the beat of a persons heart, in this case, Mabel's heart.

She was deteriorating rapidly and he wanted to pull her out of it before she did something that would cost her her life.

Weird how he, a dream demon that would usually not care about a mortal dying, cared so much about her. 

It's called love, Bill.

Mabel turned around and continued throwing flowers in the water, grinning as they floated about, just freely gliding over the ripples in the water.

Bill couldn't bring himself to look at her, he couldn't. That flame in her heart was going out and he knew she didn't have a lot of time left. He was trying to get her to stop, but he couldn't. There was only so much he could do.

   He looked at the watch that he had on, and it showed the time. 6:45. PM

   Her times of coming were so early, and she was just glad she could be there with him. He was the only one who understood her. He was the only one she needed.

   She giggled as she threw more flowers in, making Bill smile. He faced her and planted a kiss on her forehead, not noticing Mabel's expression when she looked at him.

  Her eyes just stared at him with every emotion possible, and she wanted to cry but she didn't know why.

  The hours passed and eventually came morning. Mabel left through that door, and Bill just stared after she had left, about to kick something in frustration.

   He was breaking down over the fact that his Star was pretending to be something and someone she wasn't.  
______________________________  
   More days passed, and Mabel made a slip up that would cost her gravely.

  She had accidentally slipped in the pills into her book bag, not noticing out of her fatigue.   
  She walked to school and her bag kept making weird noises, but she ignored it.

  Pacifica noticed this too and when she questioned Mabel, the girl just shrugged.

"I don't know and I don't really care, as long as it's not interrupting my education I'll be okay."

Pacifica laughed lightly before they headed off to their science class, Pacifica still wondering what was in Mabel's bag dad made that noise.

They finally got to class and it got so quiet when they entered, it was like you could actually hear a pin drop.

Mabel coughed awkwardly before sitting down in her chair, taking her notebook out.

"You can uh. Continue doing what you were doing! Yeah! That!"

The other kids slowly turned away and continued their conversations until the teacher came in and started the class, droning on about some atoms and molecules and whatnot.

Mabel found her eyes closing and soon drifted off to sleep, finding herself in the Dreamscape again.

"Bill!"

Bill turned around and greeted her by taking her hand and kissing the top of it gently with his usual smirk on his features.

"Shooting Star, I believe we have a boat ride to catch."

Mabel giggled and the two stepped into a two person boat, Bill almost falling out before mumbling an 'I'm okay'.

Mabel laughed as the two towed away from shore, eventually passing alongside some river lilies.

Since Mabel had a certain fascination with making flower crowns, Bill allowed the boat to slow down so she could gather enough to make flower crowns for both him and she.

She did so and in a matter of minutes she had assembled some delicately woven flower   
crowns, each looking so fragile but so beautiful.

Bill put one on her head and vice versa. Mabel giggled when she saw Bill's flower crown tilt to the left side of his face, not staying up how it was supposed to.

"Here."

She added a few more flowers to make the amount balanced before placing it in his head, grinning. "There!"

Bill grinned and softly touch it before taking a hold of her delicate hands and holding them in his own large hands, kissing them.

"I love it."

Mabel smiled. "And I love you."

Bill leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead, but before he could Mabel heard a faint noise, almost as if someone was calling her name.

Miss Pines...Miss Pines...MISS PINES!

With that, Mabel jerked up and left the Dreamscape rather abruptly, startling Bill.

She gave no explanation before she jumped out of the boat and swam to the door, opening it and slamming it shut.

Mabel awoke with a startled face, only to see that the whole class was staring at her and her teacher was in front of her.

"Miss Pines."

"Yes, Mrs. Martinez?"

"Explain why these were in your bag." 

She held up the sleeping pills, shocking Mabel and Pacifica who was sitting five desks away.

Mabel's eyes were wide with shock and fear, fear that something bad would happen, and sure enough it would.

"I'm sorry."

Her teacher took the pills and placed them on her desk, frowning and Mabel knew that something was going to happen, she could feel it.

It wasn't only until later in math that her fears came true when she heard this come over the loudspeaker:

"'Mabel Pines, please come to the principals office."  
________________________________  
(Wow I haven't updated in almost a week! I'm so sorry, I've been dealing with school and some other drama, but here you go, a new part! That's all for today folks, take care and have a Happy Halloween if I can't update before then! Love y'all so much and peace out.)


	8. The Final Decision

   Mabel felt her heart pounding in her chest as she heard her name being announce over the loudspeaker, telling her to go to the principal's office.

She felt a sickening twist in her stomach, making her feel very uncomfortable. 

Shakily, she stood up and took deep breaths while walking towards the door, the entire class with their eyes on her. Always watching.

She glanced back to look at Pacifica who gave her an encouraging smile but Mabel could tell that she was giving her a fake look. She knew Pacifica was worried about her.

She finally stepped out of the class and with each step felt her heart beat faster.

She slowly walked down the stairs, not wanting to get there quickly, knowing that it had to do with the pills that her teacher had found in her bag.

She finally saw the principal's door, breathing heavily before shakily knocking on the door.

The door was opened and then there was none other than Mrs. Martinez sitting there, staring at Mabel.

"Miss Pines. Take a seat."

Mabel nodded before quickly taking a seat and starting to fiddle with her fingers. This annoyed her teacher to no end but she couldn't say anything. 

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Mabel broke it by nervously speaking up.

   "W-what are we waiting for?"

  Her teacher sighed. "For who is the question. You'll see shortly." 

  Mabel nodded and continued to fiddle with her fingers until she heard the door being knocked on.

   "Ah. They're here."

  Mabel felt her blood run cold when she saw who it was, her eyes widening with great fear.   

  "Hello Mr and Mrs Pines, please take a seat."  
Mabel's mom walked over and took a seat, acting like she was sober but she wasn't.

  "You wanted to talk to us?"

  Mabel's teacher nodded. "Mabel's grades have been slipping for the past few weeks and I was confused as to why one of my best students was failing the class that she normally loved. Then today I may have found the reason of why she isn't focusing in class."

  She pulled out the sleeping pills and Mabel's parents faces turned from shock to anger.

   Mabel's mom looked at Mabel, who just shrunk in her seat and looked away, wanting an escape. She'd give anything to be anywhere but here. Anywhere.

   Her teacher went on to say about how sleeping pills affected the body and how the remains were still there in the morning, but Mabel wasn't paying attention to this. She was frantically looking around, trying to distract herself.

  Her heart was pounding, she was sacred because she knew that look that her mom had given her. It was that 'You are so in for it' look, a look that Mabel had been all too familiar with.

   Her teacher finally stopped talking and cleared her throat, making Mabel look up at her.

  "Mabel, I'm leaving you and parents here to talk. I'll give you ten minutes."

  She walked out and quietly shut the door, making Mabel's stomach do twists and turns.   
She looked up at her mom and dad, who were both furiously glaring down at her. 

"I'm sorry."

Her mother started laughing and threw her hands up. "You're sorry? You're sorry?!" 

Mabel's father just glared and started screaming. "What in the world did you think you were doing?! We send you to school to get an education, not to slack off and sleep during every class!"

Her mother scoffed. "If you were more like Dipper we wouldn't have this problem."

Something inside Mabel snapped and she felt a surge of anger raise inside of her. 

She glared at her parents, the angry tears threatening to fall.

"Be more like Dipper? BE MORE LIKE DIPPER?! YOU TREAT ME LIKE TRASH AND EXPECT ME TO DO GOOD IN SCHOOL? I HAVE FEELINGS TOO, YOU KNOW! DO YOU THINK IM NOT TRYING? IM TRYING, DAMN IT! BUT WHEN NO ONE IS THERE TO SUPPORT YOU HOW CAN I? YOU WANT ME TO BE LIEK DIPPER? WHY DON'T YOU START ACTING MORE LIKE HIM BECAUSE HE SURE WAS A HELL LOT BETTER THAN YOU!" By now she was crying, the tears streaming down her face.

She wanted her parents to comfort her, she wanted them to apologize, she wanted them to tell her it was okay, they would help. But what is to be expected from parents who had given up trying to be nice and had given into drinking for the rest of their lives?

Mabel breathed heavily and before she could react, she felt a sharp sting across her cheek and she fell to the floor, grabbing her cheek.

She looked up and saw her mom glaring at her, rage in her eyes.

"HOW DARE YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME? I'M YOUR MOTHER!"

Mabel glared at her and shook her head. "You sure don't act like it."

She got up, the tears still falling before she wiped them away and turned towards the door. She took one last look at her parents with a gaze so intense, and so full of hatred.

"Go to hell."

She walked out and immediately broke into a run, running to her locker and fiddling with the lock. She couldn't see that well through her tears, the tears were too much.

She finally opened her locker and quickly put her jacket on, stuffing everything in her bag before slamming her locker shut, inputting the code once more.

She quickly took out her phone and sent a message to Pacifica, telling her that she wasn't going to be in class for the rest of the day.

Pacifica: Aw I'll see you Monday for the Christmas dinner and I'll give you your books there!

Mabel: Take care Paz

  She slipped her phone back into her pocket before running out of the school, telling the security guard that she had been allowed to leave due to the fact that she was sick.

  He nodded and let her out, Mabel breaking out into a run as she got farther away from the school.

  She eventually reached her house, and saw that her parents weren't home. 

  She quickly ran to the bathroom, frantically looking for the pills.

  They're weren't there. She started screaming before frantically running around the house, desperately trying to find them.

  She entered her parents room and under the bed, found a closed container with the pills inside.

  She took them and went upstairs into her room, shitting the door behind her.

  She stared at the pill bottle for a long time before making up her mind.

  This is for the best...

  And with that, she opened the jar and tipped it without counting the pills as they fell into her mouth.

  She dropped the pill bottle and laid down on her bed, not fully understanding the dire consequences that this would have.  

  She felt herself start to drift off, and she finally shut her eyes and was whisked away to her Dreamscape, for the last time.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A hugeeee thanks to everyone who reads my stories, I love you. The next chapter will be the final chapter to this story, and it may contain feels. That's all for now, see you next time.


	9. The Star That Shone No More

Mabel found herself in the Dreamscape once again, grinning as she looked around, desperately trying to find Bill.

It's okay, the day is over, you're here and no one can hurt you here. You're safe.

She looked around and noticed that everything looked so...different, to put it in simple terms.  
Everything was dimming in color, the bright, rosy pink changing to a darker shade, making it look more sinister.

She was confused, and even more so confused when she saw Bill run towards her, a -scared?-look on his face. 

"Shooting Star, what are you doing here again? And in this situation?"

Mabel raised a brow. "What do you mean?"  
"It's not safe, something is happening and i don't want you to be here!"

Mabel shook her head. "Nothing's happening, all I did was make myself fall asleep so I could be with you!"

Bill's blood ran cold as she told him this, his fears having been confirmed.   
Oh Shooting Star, don't you know the price that this will cost you?

His eyes were wide with fear as he saw everything start to change in color, slow at first but as he watched the changes closer, he saw the colors start changing faster.

He turned to Mabel, his eyes full of fear as he tried to shake it off but he couldn't, he was scared. He knew if she didn't leave the Dreamscape, this meant something bad was happening with Mabel's body. And that something bad was the pills that she had ingested.

He looked at her in disbelief as she happily hummed a sang and stuck her finger out for a butterfly to land on it. As soon as it landed it on her, it started losing color and Mabel didn't seem to notice or decided to not say anything about because she said, "Oh! You're so pretty!"

Bill finally decided to say something, a whole mountain of emotions inside him.

"Shooting Star."

"Yes?"

"What did you do?"

Mabel froze and shook her head before smiling and taking his hands with a smile on her face. "Does it really matter?! All that matters is that I did it for us, and we'll be together for all of eternity like you wanted!"

Bill could only stare at her with that disbelief in his eyes, and that's when Mabel knew something was wrong.

Her smile turned into a frown and she squeezed his hand, wanting to know what was wrong.

"Bill?"

Bill shook his head. "What have you done, Shooting Star? What have you done..."

Mabel could only stare at him, clearly not understanding what he was saying. 

"W-what? But I did the right thing, in the name of love!"

Bill winced as she said that, a sharp jab in his abdomen.

"Shooting Star, don't you know what you've done?"

"No! That's why I need you to tell me!"

Bill frowned and felt tears threatening to spill from his eyes. and he couldn't take it anymore.  
"Shooting Star, you made a big mistake, now you're basically-"

They heard a cracking noise and as they turned around, the once pure white door was glowing bright red and it was changing into a darker color as the cracking sounds got louder.

Bill could only stare at it in horror, knowing fully well what this meant.

The door finally shattered, leaving millions of shards in its place. 

Mabel only stared at it, and slowly everything started to sink in.

Bill could only stare at her in horror and disbelief, for now his Shooting Star would have to stay locked away, and he would have to leave.

Bill felt himself start slipping away, the tick of the clock going faster and faster.

Mabel only looked at him. "Bill?"

Bill felt the tears start coming out, and he swiftly leaned over and kissed her full on the lips, taking Mabel by surprise.

She didn't have time to react, and when he pulled back, she realized he had tears in his eyes. His usually mischievous eyes were full with tears, and all he managed to say was, "I'm sorry I was too late to save you."

He proceeded to change into a new form, his yellow clothes disappearing and a black robe appearing in his place. His face contorted to that of a monster, his arms loosing the skin on them and every part of him turned into a skeleton.

He grew taller in height until he practically was twice as tall as Mabel, and she could only stare at him. 

He had taken the form of a monster, a hideous monster. But Mabel still saw the Bill she had fallen in love with, her Bill was somewhere in there.

She saw him reach his hand up and catch a falling flower before placing it behind her ear, similar to what he had done the second time they had met.

She felt her tears spill, fully understanding now that she had passed away and that in doing so, she had made Bill's time end, leaving him in the form of a monster.

She reached out to him, not afraid that he was a monster. She didn't care, he was still Bill, the Bill she had fallen in love with, the one that had given her a new meaning to life. 

Both lovers could only stare at each other with tears in both of their eyes, knowing that this meant a goodbye.

Mabel couldn't take it anymore and screamed, the sons growing louder and louder as she kneeled down, tears cascading down her cheeks. She furiously tugged at her hair. Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream! Tell me it'll all be okay when I wake up, tell me you'll braid my hair like you used to, tell me that you love me to the stars and back, please don't let this be real...

Bill could only watch her, desperately wanting to help her, but he couldn't. Not now that his time with her had ended.

There was sorrow in the Dreamscape as there was on the land above, as Mabel's parents arrived home.  
________________________________  
"Mabel Pines! We know you're home, come down here right now!"

When her father received no response, he was furious.

"Young lady, I am your dad! Come down here this instant! I know you're up there in your room!"

Mabel's mom didn't handle it as good as her husband and she stomped up the stairs, slamming furiously on Mabel's door.

"MABEL PINES, OPEN UP THIS INSTANT!"  
Receiving no response, she opened the door with a key and opened her mouth to let out a yell but let out a shriek instead.

Her daughter was sprawled on the floor, having have had fallen from the bed moments before they arrived.

She frantically held her head, listening to see if she could find a pulse. To her horror, there was no pulse.

She screamed and her husband took Mabel into his arms and he tried resuscitating her, but the minutes passed and it was to no avail, they could not get her heart to start beating again.

Mabel's parents burst into full blown tears as the truth dawned on them that their daughter, the one that they had seen grown up then ignored for years, the one that brought cheer to the family, was gone.

Her mother could only watch Mabel's father pick Mabel's lifeless body up, the pill bottle rolling out of Mabel's hand.

She screamed a heart wrenching scream, for she knew it was her fault for abandoning her daughter and blaming her for her brothers death that led Mabel to do this.

Mabel's father, who usually did not cry, was crying and hugging Mabel's body so tightly. He was shaking, shaking with anger at himself for not being a better father.

Both parents were to blame for their daughters death, and the guilt would live with them forever. 

In the Dreamscape, Mabel heard their sobs. She heard them crying, but as much as she wanted to shout, she couldn't. She was stuck there, she would never see her parents or friends again. 

I'm sorry...  
______________________________________  
(Well, here's the last part of the story. This was hard to write oh my god. It kept screwing with my emotions, and I feel bad for Mabel, living with these parents who didn't see what their consequences of bad parenting were until it was too late. Here's the ending, I hope you enjoyed this story. Goodbye. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end, kids! Hoe you enjoyed it and peace out for now.:3


End file.
